Process for treating starch, &amp;c.



Patented Mar. 30, 1915.

1 III 1| PROCESS FOR TREATING STARGH, 5o. APPLIOATION FILED AP.28, 19117.

Pv. P. BERGH & H. C. NEUBERGER.

AUNrriD srATEs PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK PEN'rz Banen AND HENRY c. NEUBERGER, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGN- -ons, BY MEsNE ASSIGNMENTS, To GENERAL REDUCTION COMPANY, Aco-RPonATIoN "or NEW YORK.

PROCESS FOR TREATING- STARCH, &o.

l Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 30, 1915.

Application filed April 28, 1911. Serial No. 623,921.

.'To all whom t may concern Be it known that we, FREDERICK P. BERGH and HENRY C. NEUBERGER, citizens of the United States, and residents of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes for Treating Starch, &c., of which the following isa specification.

This invention relates to a process for treating green starch and vstarch in a pow- -dered condition, and its object is to dry the' starch from its natural structure, and transform it from a granular powdered or powdery condition and containing a large percentage of moisture into a hydrolized and dry semi-gelatinized state in which the particles of the substance possess a hard, gritty, agglomerate form, whereby the material may be readily handled, conveyed and elevated without loss through dispersion of the particles. l To this end the process consists, broadly stated, of dropping the starch to be treated while containing moisture through an inclosed area and there subjecting it to the action of a heated moisture-bearing body,

such as steam, 4of such a temperature Vas to semi-gelatinize the starch without reducing .it toa paste or jelly4 and then subjecting- Asuch semi-gelatinizedvproduct to the action of a heated gaseous body, such as hot air, for .the purpose of drying the substance treated and then disintegratingfl the semigelatinized and dried particles into any dev sired degree of subdivision. l f

The action of the steam orjother vaporcontining gaseous body upon the moisturecontaining. starch is to heat the starch in its own moisture to the lpoint of semi-gelatinization without subtracting' the moisture from the body of the starch, while at the same time, the addition ofsuchan amount of moisture to the starch as would create a jelly or paste is avoided. By this step, the

starch is gelatinized and by dropping it from the point of 'heating through the im closed area and is thereby formed into a mass of loose, separated, agglomerate par ticles upon a suitable receptacle and upon being then ubjected to the drying faction of heated air, the particles take a hard, gritty, angular form with a vitreous surface. By means of a suitable grinding or disintegratlng device, in conjunction with a sieve of a v required mesh, the particles may be, reduced to the desired degree of neness and starch is then ready for handling and maybe easily conveyed and elevated.

Our process may be carried out'by the apparatus shown in the accompanying drawings, in which drawings, the view shown is a central vertical section of' the parts of the apparatus or system adapted to carry out the successive steps of the process.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a pipe or hopper through which the granular green starch or powdered starch is intro duced. This pipe leads into a pipe 2 which is for the purpose of admitting air under pressure to a treating chamber 3 or'the pipe 1 may lead directly into the chamber 3 immediately adjacent the junction of the latter with the air pipe 2. When starch is t0 be treated, itis introduced in what is known as its.A green state,.in which condition it v contains about 50% moisture. vIf the starch or other material has been so treated prior to its introduction into the chamber by some method. that would deprive the same of moisture,then a quantity of water should be added sufficient to supply moisture to about the vpercentage above stated. The process is particularly applicable and may possibly be found to be only applicable to the treatment of starch and is primarily designed for treating green starch," although also useful for reducingl starch in a powdered form to a hard grittymass capable of elevation i without dispersion, and therefore hereafter throughout this specification, the product treatedwill be referred to as starch, valthough itis evident that possibly the process may be found of advantage in connection with the treatment of other substances, particularly soine of the alteration products of starch.v As the starch is poured into the upper end of the chamber, it meets a body of heated moisture-bearing gas or vapor introduced into the chamber below the admis-- sionportf'or the starch. This heating body is preferably steam and itis. preferably ini. troduced into the chamber 3 through an opening 4 formed in the side wall of the i chamber and communicating with a suitable sourceof steamsupply. The steam entering the opening passes into the vertical chamber 5, formed by the wall of the chamber 3 and by the perforated plate 6, which plate serves to guide the steam upwardly and distribute it`over a large area. of the interior of the chamber below the entrance port.v These perforated plates also serve as baffling means for the steam, which serve to separate the steam from any excess moisturewhich is allowed to collect at the bottom of the small vertical chambers, where it may be drawn off. From the chamber a .pipe leads to a blower 8, whereby theA exhaust steam is drawn from the chamber. The

water separated from the steam Ain the chamber 5 may be drawn oli throiigh a drip pipe 4. if 'Thefsteam entering the chamber meets the descending body of starch and raises the temperature of the starch to such a degree that in conjunction with the moisture contained in the starch and the moisture introduced by the steam, gelatinization or such a cooking of the starch as will eifect a partial- A wupon suitable receiving means and in the ap- Ypar'atus shown, such receiving means consist of an endless conveying belt 9 extending v horizontally through the chamber 3 or across the bottom thereof and continuously driven from any suitable source of power.' The starch falls upon the belt in a soft mass of separated, granular particles which are carried forward by the belt into contact with aA suitable scraper and chute 10 from which,

the starch is fed to a hopper 11.- Below the lower open end of this hopper is mounted an endless` horizontal conveying belt 12 driven by any suitable power and adapted to carry the material deposited from the hopper into a chamber 13 which is subjected to heat of a temperature sufficient to absorb the moisture from the granules, leaving the starch with its particles in a dry, hard,

e gritty form. The exhaust steam drawn from the chamber 3 through the pipe 7 may pass vinto the chamber 13 through a pipe 14 to heat the chamber.` From the inner end of A the conveyer the starch drops from the belt into a hopper 15 leading to a disintegrator 16 which serves to break up the product into finer particles. The degree of fneness for final use is determined by the mesh of a screen or screens 17 placed in the bottom of the disintegrator. From the disintegrator the starch may pass to a suitable receptacle 18 where it is collected for use. In its final form the starchwill be in a dry, hard, agglomerate and gritty state, in which condition it may be readily handled and elevated without dispersion into the air such as would yoccur in handling the starch in the form of a powder. l

It is clear that various changes maybe made in the form ofthe apparatus employed to carry out the above steps of our process without departing from the scope of ourl invention.

Having thus described our invention, what i we claim is:-

1. The process of 'treating starch to expand the cells and reduce it to an agglomeration of starch particles which consist in dropping a body of starch containing moisture substantially equivalent to that con-l tained in green starch through an inclosed area and subjecting the body of starch while so dropping to the action of a moisture carrying heated gaseous body, substantially as described.

2. The process ofy reducing substances the form of a powder capableof agglomeration which consists in dropping the powder in the presence of moisturethrough an in'- closed area subject toa heat suiicient to agglomerate the particles, substantially as described.

43. The process of treating starch which consists in taking the starch containing an amount of moisture equal to that which it contains in the green state ,and dropping it through an inclosed area and subjecting it during such dropping action to a current of y heatedmoisture carrying gas, substantially as described.

4. The process of reducing green starch to a gritty state, which consists in dropping the starch into contact with a heated moisture-carrying gaseous body then drying and disintegrating the starch, substantially as described.

5. The process of reducing starch from a powdered form to agritty form which consists in introducing the starch in a finely dispersed body with moisture contained therein into contact with a body of moisture-carrying heated gaseeus matter of a temperature suiiicient to semi-gelatinize the starch, substantially as described.

6. The process of transforming starch into I a mass of gritty, granulated particles, which consists lin dropping the starch in a form` containing moisture through a body of steam, and then drying the starch and disintegrating the same, substantially as described.

. 7. The process of transforming starch into 129 5 semi-gelatinize the starch, thendrying the HENRY C. NEUBERGER.I

a mass of gritty, granular particles which Signed at New York, in the county of New consists in dropping the starch in a pow- York, and State of New York, this 24th day dered form containing moisture through a of April, A. D. 1911. body of steam of a temperature sufficient to FREDERICK PENTZ BERGH.

agglomerated particles' produced and then Witnesses: dsintegrating said product, substantially as M. L. RYAN, described. DAVID M. NEUBERGER. 

